So, it's funny, eh? These Wait Modes are curiously relaxing, but a little bit annoying. I was all geared up for big things to happen on Friday, and then... bam! I just didn't see it coming. It's nice, because it means that I spend about half the time on my columns every day (seriously), but at the same time, I've kind of fallen in love with the game and some of you guys. Silly me.

Today's Tips:

Some people have asked, but this game's storyline is loosely based on one of my own creations, entitled "The Lost Legend IV." I made a series of pencil-and-paper RPGs, designed with console-like storylines and monster art and everything, and then made a version for RPG Maker 2000 (you know, that illegal one) a few years back. It's kind of cool to "port" it to Sock 2.

At some point in the game, you may obtain the ability to cast "bonus spells" or use "bonus attacks." This means that in additon to your normal action, you may use a spell or an attack (respectively) on TOP of that action. In such cases, you could do things such as go shopping AND attack, or cast the same spell twice in one action. How can you obtain these abilities? Keep trudging on...

Hmm, hmm. I'll leave the storyline and action window up this time, but remember that all scores on the scoreboard reflect ONLY up until time was frozen. Thus, the people whose turns were taken after Lost Boricua have yet to be tallied up. Don't panic if your score hasn't changed (but let me know, of course, if it still hasn't changed as of Thursday's column.)

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We had been in the Dark World for a couple of days, heading south, and enjoying a relatively peaceful walk, thanks to Elia's herbs. The world seemed to be quite like our own, except with a more dusky sky, and a deeper, somehow richer colour in the oceans. Perhaps it was an illusion.

We had just passed through a village of gnomes, called Trigg. There, they directed us in the direction we were headed. It became very apparent, very quickly, that Mazell was more than just a celebrity here; he was deeply feared, and not a single person was ignorant of his name. Was his aim to take over our world as well? There were so many questions.

As we passed over an open grassland, we could see steep mountains looming in the distance.

"That's it," dad said assertively. "Those must be the mountains where we'll find Mazell's palace!"

"And look!" Veronica pointed. A few twinkling lights were faintly visible at the base of the mountains, though they were many miles off yet. "It looks like there's a little village there."

As we changed direction and headed towards the settlement, the wind picked up suddenly. Shayla stiffened and then scanned the horizon.

"Everyone... look over there. What's that cloud?" Shayla asked hesitantly. It was hard to distinguish at first, but a small, black, blurry cloud appeared to be emerging from the mountains.

"A volcano?" Wooley arched his eyebrow almost comically before the colour drained from his face. The cloud was building and coming closer. As it did, we realized that it wasn't a cloud at all.

"The SIA is in the middle of developing a private wiki to help gather information about SOCK2. If you're interested in helping out (and possibly learning a thing or two), please consider joining our guild at no risk--if you don't like it with us, we can arrange your departure from the guild nearly as quickly as you arrive. If you'd like more information before applying, please see http://www.geocities.com/whocares1002/sia.html."

Note: The current scoreboard reflects all APGs and all actions up until this point! The contest will resume on Thursday's column, picking up exactly where today left off. Until then, I'll be adding hints and advice on Sock 2 pages, so keep tuning in!

GUILDSDon't go it alone!

Guild of Magus

Creator: Sandy
Type: Invite Only
You will be notified in case you are given an invitation- you may not freely join.

Order of Beorn

Creator: Sundoulos
Type: Invite Only
You will be notified in case you are given an invitation- you may not freely join.

Brotherhood of Lief

Creator: FirstAid
Type: Open
You are free to join this guild as long as your total level is 4 or less.

SOCK Intelligence Agency

Creator: Joshua
Type: Semi-Open
The invitation is extended to any would-be agents wishing to use their attention to detail, deductive logic, strategic use of time, and/or general curiosity to collect intelligence on all aspects of SOCK2. The SIA aims to be a diverse organization so players of all classes and levels are currently welcome to apply. Please state your level of proficiency in your classes at time of application.

The Healing Shield

Creator: Bainick
Type: Open
May freely join if the following is fulfilled:
Must be mainly Defender or White Mage (To at least a 50:50 ratio of half def
and/or wht mage:half other occupation/s), and have a lower or equal to level
than Bainick.

SHOPS...New stock every week!

Trigg Item Shop

Item

Effect

Price

Antidote

Cures Poison.

25 Gold

Smelling Salts

Cures Confusion.

25 Gold

Echo Herbs

Cures Silence.

35 Gold

Metronome

Cures Slow.

35 Gold

Healing Herbs

Boosts Points by 25-40.

40 Gold

Flex Herb

Cures Immobilize and Disable.

50 Gold

Gold Needle

Cures Stone or Paralysis

75 Gold

Holy Water

Cures Haunt or Curse.

75 Gold

Shuriken

If "Throw" command is known, does 2-3x unarmed attack power to one target when used,
ignoring defenses.